Method of making a resilient metallic bunch



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I S. W. GRATER METHOD OF MAKING A RESILIENT METALLICBUNCH Filed Nov. 4, 1938 July 4, 1939.

INVENTOR 1 G ATTORNEY July 4, 1939. s. w. GRATER METHOD OF MAKING ARESILlENT METALLIC BUNCH Filed Nov. 4; 1938 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORATTORNEY JulyA, 1939. s. w. GRATER METHOD OF MAKING A RESILIENT METALLICBUNCH Filed Nov. 4, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR WW W BY 7 #M ATTORNEYPatented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATE TE? FFIE METHOD OF MAKING A RESILIENTMETAL- LIC BUNCH Application November 4, 1938, Serial No. 238,754

4 Claims.

The object of this invention is to devise a novel method of making aflexible and resilient metallic bunch from a coreless helical strandwhich nad imparted to it an inherent tendency to curl. The strand isformed from a metallic strand which may be oxidizable or non-oxidizable,and if a round wire is used, it is preferably deformed in cross sectionby a deforming operation, to change its contour and increase the numberof abrading edges of the strand. The strand is subjected to a curlingoperation by known methods, preferably by drawing the strand undertension over a curling edge to impart to it an inherent tendency to forma helical coil, or by wrapping it around a mandrel with a flier. Thestrand thus formed is tensioned and coreless and has adjacent coilspreferably disposed in close proximity to each other.

In carrying out my novel method, a strand of the character hereindisclosed with the tension relaxed and in an unstretched condition iswound on a reel, core, spool, spindle, or mandrel, each of which can beconsidered as a mechanical equivalent of the others, until sufficientamount of mass for the desired size of bunch has accumulated. The massafter the winding operation is completed and in a loose condition isstretched into an elongated skein form and released to allow it toretract, thus causing an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns.

The stretching and retracting operations may be repeated a desirednumber of times and the mass when released may then, if desired beworked together mechanically or manually so 1 that coils of adjacentturns are more thoroughly interlocked throughout the major portion ofthe bunch.

With the foregoing in view, a further object of the invention is to winda tensioned, helical, ccreless strand in an unstretched condition, and,after winding, stretching and retracting the turns either mechanicallyor manually, to cause the interlocking of coils of adjacent turns.

Other novel steps and features of the method will hereinafter clearlyappear in the detailed description and the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one of several constructionswhich can be advantageously employed in carrying out in pram -tlce mynovel method.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine for curling and winding strandmaterial, and by the use of which my method can be commerciallypracticed.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of a reel.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a reel.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a reel with the strand material woundthereon.

Figure 7 shows a stretched skein formed by the hands of the operator.

Figure 8 shows a manually manipulated bunch in a hand of the operator.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of turning mechafor the reel carrying head.

Figure 10 is a side elevation similar to Figure 9 but showing the partsin a different relation from that seen in Figure 9.

Similar numerals indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:

In order to illustrate one method of curling the strand, I have shown inFigure 1 a construction conforming to that disclosed in the SedgleyReissue Patent No. 18,576, in which the frame I of the machine has anelectric motor 2 mounted on it. The shaft of the motor carries a pulley3 around which passes a belt which also passes around a pulley 5 mountedon a shaft 6. The shaft has fixed to it a gear 7 which meshes with agear 8 fixed to a shaft 9 journalled in the frame. The shaft 9 carries aroll ill which forms a driving deforming roll, and a driven deformingroll H is in free rolling contact with the roll NJ. The roll H ismounted on ball bearing journals l2 having adjusting screws it toregulate the pressure during the deforming operation. These rolls have adesired contour to deform the metallic strand is in cross section, andif they have a smooth surface the strand will be rolled into a fiatribbon form with four abrading edges.

The metallic strand i l usually in the form of a round wire is wound onspools l5 mounted on spindles l5 and having tension devices H which or ahold-back tension on the spools. The wire passes to the deforming rollsl3 and II through a guide It, and from the rolls l0 and H around giudel9 and over a curling edge 26 to the take-up rolls ii, the lower one ofwhich has its shaft intergeared with a shaft 22 which has a 23 meshingwith a gear 2 3 on the shaft 5. The journals of the upper roll 2i havepressure adjusting screws 25.

The result of such construction is that the deformed metallic strand isdrawn under a controlled tension over a curling edge imparting to itinherent tendency to curl and form a coreless, helical strand. As soonas the strand leaves the take-up rolls 2i, it assumes the form of ahelical, coreless strand with adjacent coils preferably close together.

The foregoing operation is that set forth in the Sedgley Reissue PatentNo. 18,576, aforesaid, and my present invention relates moreparticularly to the formation of a flexible resilient metallic bunchfrom a strand of this type.

The strand is wound with its tension released and in an unstretchedcondition on a reel which may be in the form of a spindle, mandrel,spool or core.

The winding mechanism is driven by an electric motor 26 which drives areduction gearing 21 connected by shaft 28, having a flexible coupling29, with the driving shaft 3!! of the winding mechanism, the journals ofthe shaft 30 being resiliently supported and counter balanced. Theshafts 28 and 30 are intergeared.

The driving shaft 38 has a driving cone 3! which is continually driven.

I employ a plurality of cores 32 each of which is carried by a shaft 33journalled in a rotatable head 34 and providedwith a friction member 35.The friction members 35 are progressively brought into drivingconnection with the driving cone 3! by. intermittent rotation of thehead 34 so that while a core is being wound, a wound core will beaccessible to the operator.

The head 34 is fixed to a shaft 35 journalled in the frame 36 of thewinding mechanism and such frame is preferably connected with the frameof a the curling machine.

The shaft 35 has fixed to it a cam 31 having cam faces corresponding innumber to the number of cores on the rotatable head 34, and, asillustrated, three cam faces are shown. The cam 37 controlstheintermittent rotation of the head 34 and is controlled by a bar 38,see Figures 9 and 10, suitably guided to slide beneath the cam 31. Thebar 38 has at one end a pin and slot connection 39 with a lever 49fulcruming on the frame of the winding machine. The other end of thelever 40 is pivotally connected with a controlling rod M which may beautomatically actuated in timed relation with the revolutions of a ,corebeing wound or controlled by the operator in any desired manner. The barat its forward end has longitudinally adjustable on it a cam 42. The bar38 is recessed at 43 to permit the turning of the cam 37, and it is alsorecessed at one side to receive an angularly shaped latch 44 pivoted tothe bar 38 to swing laterally on its pivot. The winding head frame has alatch block 46 fixed to it and provided with a pin or boss 4'!cooperating with the latch 44 to cause it to be positioned beneath thecam 3'! to prevent its turning or to be moved out of the path of the camwhen the rotating head 34 is to be turned to position an unwound core inwinding position. This turning of the head 34 begins when the cam 42 onthe bar 38 is moved beneath the cam 31 and is completed by a shoulder 48at the end of the recess 43. When the bar moves in one direction thelatch is swung out of position beneath the cam 31 by the latch block pinand when moved in the reverse direction the latch is moved by the latchblock pin beneath the cam 3'1. For a more detailed description of theconstruction and operation of the winding mechanism, reference isdirected to the Sedgley Patent No. 2,120,944 of June 14, 1933.

The controlling rod Al is controlled by a gear V 48 driven by thedriving mechanism of the curl ingmachine so that when a predeterminedlength of curled strand has been wound on a reel; the

' material which is on a Wound reel is ready for the stretching and coilinterlocking operation.

If such operation is to be done manually the operator removes the massof wound strand in a loose form with his two hands and stretches it intoan elongated skein formation which causes coils of adjacent strands 'toopen up and lie between coils of other strands so that when the skein isreleased and worked together by the hands of the operator, the coils ofadjacent strands will interlock substantially throughout the metallicbunch which has been formed.

If the strand material wound on the reel with the tension relaxed is tobe mechanically stretched, an expansible and contractible reel can beemployed which after the winding operation has been completed can beautomatically expanded and retained in an expanded condition asufficient length of time to permit the operator to remove the woundmaterial from its reel. This can be accomplished in a number ofdifferent ways and in order to illustrate one manner of doing this, Ihave shown the reels, see Figures 3 and 4, as consisting ofsections 53and 54 connected by links 55 with a controlling rod 56 keyed to atubular shaft 51 on which a friction member a 35 is mounted. The innerend of the controlling rod 56 travels in the path of a stationary cam53, so that when the reel carrier is tripped to move a wound reel out ofwinding position, the

reel sections will be expanded, and, due to the dwell 59 of the cam, seeFigure 1, will be retained from the reel on which it has been wound andstretched, and if desired, manually manipulated by the hands of theoperator to further interlock the coils of adjacent strands and form aflexible and resilient metallic bunch with adjacent coils interlockedsubstantially throughout the mass of the bunch.

The take up rolls 2] are preferably run at a constant speed so that thehelical, coreless strand is delivered at a constant rate. r

The operation will now be clear to those skilled in this artandis'as'follows: The metallic strand is preferably deformed, curled andwound up in a continuous operation. The strand is drawn from thetensioned spools l5, deformed byfthe rolls Ill and H, and is drawn undertension bythe takeup rolls'2i over the curling edge 20. As soon as thestrand leaves the take-up rolls it assumes the form of a helical,coreless strand with adjacent coils preferably close together. Theoperator winds the free end of the strands around a reel 32 which is inWinding position, and the curled 4 strand is wound up under a releasedtension with-, out stretching the strand. A mass of curled wire= iswound up in a loosecondition on the reel in this manner and when asufiicient amount has accumulated for the desired size of bunch toformed, the parts are so timed that the rod ti will move the bar 39, andlatch block pin 4%? rocks latch dd out of the recess in the bar. The 42slides under the cam 3? partially turning it. The shoulder 48 completesthe turning operation and the latch moves beneath the cam 3i to hold itstationary during a winding operation.

As the rotatable head 3 3 turns, the rod 55 of a wound reel comes intothe path of the cam 58, thereby moving the rod 56 inwardly to cause thelinks 55 to expand the reel sections 53 and 5 5. The reel sections areretained in expanded condition due to the dwell 5% until the rod passesbeyond the cam 58. The springs 58 and 85 then return the reel sectionsto their closed position. The operator cuts the strand or strandsbetween a wound reel and a reel to be wound and while the reel isexpanded removes the elongated skein and allows it to contract to causethe interlocking of coils and formation of the flexible and resilientmetallic bunch. He may work it manually into a bunch to cause a morethorough interlocking of coils of adjacent turns, or pushes it through afunnel to accomplish the same purpose.

If the cam 58 is not used, the reels will remain in their contractedposition or a non-sectional reel may be used as shown in Figure 6, forthe winding of the strand. In this figure, I have shown a wound reelwith the strand severed and the rotatable head B i would now bestationary. The operator removes the loose mass of wound wire byspanning the upper portion of the cylin drical mass with the thumb andfingers of one hand and the lower portion with the thumb and fingers ofthe other hand, and in this manner withdrawing the mass from the openend of the reel. He, now, while still holding the mass with his twohands, moves his hands apart, thus producing an elongated skein with theturns stretched to open up the spacing between the coils of the strand,and permit coils of one turn to be disposed between adjacent coils ofanother turn. When the skein is released, the tension inherent in thestrand will cause the interlocking of the coils of adjacent turns. Theoperator may now take the bunch in the palm of one hand and by arotating or compressing movement of his two hands cause a more intimateinterlocking of the coils of adjacent turns as shown in Figure 8.

I preferably employ reels having a comparatively small diameter, and Ihave found reels which are less than two inches in diameter give veryadvantageous results.

It will be clear from Figures 1 and 2, that one or more strands may beprocessed and wound up to form a quantity sufficient for a single bunch,and Figure 1 shows clearly how the strand or strands form a loop due tothe relative speed of the winding reel and the take-up rolls and thusprevent stretching of the coils of the tensioned curled strand duringthe winding operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of forming a flexible and resilient metallic bunch from atensioned, coreless, helically curled, metallic strand, which consistsin winding the strand in a tensioned released and unstretched conditionaround a reel, stretching the wound material after the winding operationis completed, into the form of an elongated skein to cause aninterlocking of coils of adjacent turns, releasing the skein to form abunch, and exerting a pressure against the material of the bunch tocause a more thorough interlocking of coils of adjacent strandsthroughout the area of the bunch.

2. The method of forming a flexible and resilient metallic bunch from atensioned, coreless, helically curled, metallic strand, which consistsin winding the strand in a tension released and unstretohed conditionaround a reel, mechanically stretching the wound material by expansionof the reel after the winding operation is completed, into the form ofan elongated skein to cause an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns,releasing the skein to form a bunch, and exerting a pres sure againstthe material of the bunch to cause a more thorough interlocking of coilsof adjacent strands throughout the area of the bunch.

3. The method of forming a flexible and re silient metallic bunch from atensioned, coreless, helically curled, metallic strand, which consistsin winding the strand in a tension released and unstretched condition toprovide an elongated mass of strand material, severing the strand,manually stretching the strand material into the form or" an elongatedskein to cause an interlocking of coils of adjacent turns, releasing theskein to form a bunch, and manually compressing the bunch to cause amore thorough interlocking of coils of adjacent turns throughout thearea of the bunch.

4. The method of forming a flexible and resilient metallic bunch from acoreless, helically curled strand, which consists in Winding the strandin an unstretched condition into the form of an elongated cylinder,stretching the cylindrical mass of wound strand after the windingoperation is completed to stretch and space the coils of the turns andpermit coils of one turn to move into the space between coils ofadjacent turns, releasing the mass to permit the turns to contract dueto the tension inherent in the strand and thereby cause an interlockingof coils of adjacent turns and the formation of the bunch with anannular disposition of the turns in the bunch.

SYLVESTER W. GRATER.

